Illinois State MuseumEarth forces are continually at work causing
change.

Climate, land, and living things are all connected. They
interact with each other in complex ways. Even a small change can start
a chain reaction that, over time, has big effects. Here at the Changes
Institute, our scientists study how Illinois' environment has evolved
over the last 500 million years and how it continues to change even today.

The Exhibits

We developed these exhibits to show you what we've learned about changes in Illinois, so far. There are many things we still don't know. Fortunately, new discoveries are made every day. Join the Changes Institute team and you can learn how we find and study clues about environmental change, and how new information adds to our knowledge of the past, the present, and what might happen in our future.